WPL 2025: Harmanpreet, bowlers star as MI beat DC by eight runs, clinch second title (ld)

Mumbai, March 16 (IANS) Delhi Capitals failed to break their record of coming second best in the finals of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2025 as Mumbai Indians held their nerve to emerge victorious by eight runs in the summit clash of 2025 edition and clinch their second title in front of 14,700 fans at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday.

MI’s win was set up by captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who timed her shots and placed them exquisitely to top-score with 66 as the hosts posted 149/7 on a fresh pitch. In defence of 150, Nat Sciver-Brunt took 3-30, including taking out Marizanne Kapp, while Amelia Kerr picked 2-25 as MI restricted DC to 141/9 in their 20 overs.

For DC, barring Marizanne’s 40, Jemimah’s 30, and Niki Prasad’s 25 not out, none of DC’s batters got going as they froze under pressure yet again and couldn’t handle MI’s bowlers standing up when it really mattered the most to become the most successful franchise in WPL.

On a fresh pitch, Marizanne was at her magnificent best to apply the squeeze with the new ball as DC called the shots initially. But Harmanpreet stepped up to hit nine fours and two sixes in a knock of 66 off 44 balls, where she mixed timing with muscling the balls to go through gaps after taking time to assess the conditions.

She also shared a counter-attacking 89-run stand for the third wicket with Nat, who made 30 off 28 balls. Electing to bowl first, DC consistently kept pressure from both ends, thanks to some masterly bowling from Marizanne and Shikha Pandey. DC were rewarded for their persistence when Marizanne got a wobble-seam ball to nip back in and castle Hayley Matthews through the gate for three.

Yastika Bhatia got MI’s first boundary with a drive off Marizanne, but on the very next ball, she couldn’t keep the slice down and Jemimah Rodrigues dived forward to complete a superb catch just inches above the field, dismissing the batter for eight, as MI ended power-play at 20/2, their second-lowest total in this phase in WPL history.

With DC being spot-on with their bowling, the Mumbai Indians could just hit a lot of balls to fielders, who were superb at cutting angles and saving runs. But from the ninth over, Nat signaled a shift in gears by going inside-out against N Shree Charani for two boundaries.

Harmanpreet stepped up when she whacked Annabel Sutherland for six before nailing her drive, cut, and slice to collect a hat-trick of boundaries against Jess Jonassen in a 13-run 11th over. Harmanpreet welcomed Minnu Mani by pulling and flicking off her wrists to get two boundaries and reach her fifty in 32 balls.

The duo hit one more boundary each before Nat swept straight to square leg off Charani in the 15th over and fell for 30 off 28 balls. From there, DC triggered MI’s slide as Jess took out Amelia Kerr and Sajeevan Sajana in quick succession, while Harmanpreet holed out to deep cover off Annabel Sutherland’s bowling, and G. Kamalini was stumped off N. Shree Charani.

But boundaries from Amanjot Kaur and Sanskriti Gupta got MI to reach one run short of the 150-mark. Chasing 150, DC lost both openers Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma in the first three overs. While Meg was castled by a ripping off-cutter from Nat for 13, Shafali was trapped lbw for four while looking to flick off Shabnim Ismail. It marked the first time Meg and Shafali were dismissed for less than 15 runs in the same WPL innings for DC.

Jess hit much-needed boundaries for DC by slashing Hayley twice before Jemimah swept her for another four. But shortly after the power-play ended, DC continued to slide. Jess miscued the slog off a googly from Amelia and the top edge was caught by Yastika, who later stumped Annabel off Saika Ishaque’s bowling.

Jemimah waged a lone battle by hitting three boundaries off Amelia, but the all-rounder had the last laugh by diving forward to take a catch after extracting a leading edge off the batter. Though Marizanne hit two boundaries, one off Nat and Hayley, a mix-up in communication led to her seeing Sarah Bryce being run out for five.

With 52 runs needed off the last five overs, Marizanne cleanly lofted Saika for four and then had luck on her side when Amelia took the catch, but it went over the boundary rope and got her a six. Immediately after, she drilled a drive down the ground, and Shabnim couldn’t save the ball from touching the boundary rope for four, as 17 runs came off the 16th over. After six runs came off Shabnim in the 17th over, DC’s last big hope in the chase was extinguished when Marizanne holed out to long-off against Nat, who castled Shikha on the very next ball.

Hayley had Minnu slicing to a backward point, and despite Niki being unconquered, DC again suffered heartbreak as MI showed their much-admired big-game temperament to experience the ecstasy of a championship win at home yet again.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 149/7 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 66, Nat Sciver-Brunt 30; Marizanne Kapp 2-11, Jess Jonassen 2-26) beat Delhi Capitals 141/9 in 20 overs (Marizanne Kapp 40, Jemimah Rodrigues 30; Nat Sciver-Brunt 3-30, Amelia Kerr 2-25) by eight runs

–IANS

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